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Show Us A Sign From Heaven - Luke 11:16
Show Us A Sign From Heaven - Luke 11:16
Some demanded of Jesus: “Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven” (Luke 11:16).
The immediate context shows that Jesus cast out a demon and the crowds were amazed, but others were skeptical. Some accused him of being in league with Satan. Others, having witnessed such casting out of the demon, yet demanded “a sign from heaven”. They acknowledged openly that Jesus had indeed cast out a demon. In fact, at this point in the life of Jesus the people had seen MANY signs!
- He healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever (Luke 4:38-39).
- He healed many and cast out demons among them (Luke 4:40-41).
- He caused the disciples to catch a huge number of fish (Luke 5:1-11).
- He cleansed a leper of leprosy (5:12-14).
- He restored complete health to a paralytic (AND forgave his sins) (Luke 5:17-26).
- He restored the withered hand of a man in the synagogue (Luke 6:6-11).
- He healed the servant of the Centurion ( Luke 7:1-10).
- He gave life to the dead son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17).
- He calmed the storm, the wind and wave obeying Him (Luke 8:22-25).
- He cast out the demons who possessed the man of the Gadarenes (Luke 8:26-33).
- He raised from death the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:41-56).
- He stopped the flow of blood of the woman with the bleeding problem (Luke 8:43-48).
- He fed 5000 people with 5 loaves and 2 fish (Luke 9:12-17).
- He cast out the difficult demon from the boy (Luke 9:37-43).
In looking at this list, what would a ‘sign from heaven’ look like? Casting out demons? Restoring a withered arm? Raising the dead? Something only God could do? Truth is they had already seen, not one but many such ‘signs from heaven’. They YET refused to believe. Such is the nature of some people’s unbelief.
The signs WERE done. They were acknowledged even by His enemies, the one healed, the crowds. They were SIGNS, they signified something. Amazingly, people acknowledged the sign but denied the conclusion! They showed that Jesus was the Son of God.
Hugh DeLong
